The head of the Egyptian Armed Forces has cancelled the broadcast of popular
Ramadan soap operas tonight to boost turnout for street demonstrations he
has called to support the military’s “war on terrorism”.

General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued his demand to private television stations
yesterday after calling for Egyptians to demonstrate in support of how the
Army has dealt with violence since Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim
Brotherhood, was ousted as President.

His call for a “mandate” from the streets appears to be at odds with his
promise to defer to the civilian leaders of the military-backed interim
government. It